{"id":20788,"date":"2026-10-22T14:44:43","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T18:44:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/?p=20788"},"modified":"2026-10-22T14:44:43","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T18:44:43","slug":"avie-silver-publishing-experience-mba-local-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/2026\/10\/22\/avie-silver-publishing-experience-mba-local-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Avie Silver:\u00a0Drawing on publishing experience and an MBA to help create a sustainable future for local news"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.kadence-column20788_384d49-35 > .kt-inside-inner-col{padding-right:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);padding-left:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);}.kadence-column20788_384d49-35 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column20788_384d49-35 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column20788_384d49-35 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column20788_384d49-35 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column20788_384d49-35{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column20788_384d49-35 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 991px){.kadence-column20788_384d49-35 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column20788_384d49-35\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When it comes to connecing local news to the community, Wilmington University alumna <strong>Avie Silver<\/strong> has been on the cutting edge.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2004, she was on the opening staff at Spark, a free weekly publication for younger readers. She later joined the launch team for the Delaware Business Times, which Today Media started in 2014 to provide local business coverage. Today, she\u2019s with Spotlight Delaware, a nonprofit newsroom that provides free, independent reporting to address gaps in news coverage across the state.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Silver is not a reporter. She helps generate revenue through advertising, sponsorships, and strategic partnerships. \u201cMy favorite part is the relationship,\u201d says Silver, who dislikes the word \u201csales.\u201d \u201cPeople became my friends.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Her current position as director of strategic partnerships draws on more than two decades of experience in publishing, sales, and nonprofit fundraising. An <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wilmu.edu\/business\/mba_index.aspx\">MBA<\/a> from Wilmington University helped her see how those experiences fit together and how to apply them strategically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, native has a knack for being at the right place at the right time. She majored in Communication at the University of Pittsburgh, where she became involved in the city\u2019s underground music scene. \u201cI lived through the musical subculture of the \u201990s and early aughts,\u201d she says. \u201cJournalism was never on my mind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After graduation, Silver spent a year with AmeriCorps. She remained in Pittsburgh for two years before returning to the Philadelphia area. While exploring marketing careers, she interviewed with the newspaper preparing to launch Spark, a publication for younger readers with the feel of an alternative city paper. Having read similar publications in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, Silver was excited about the project and became one of Spark\u2019s first employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before Spark launched, Silver spent three months learning how its parent newspaper operated. She trained with the advertising department, accompanied drivers on distribution routes and visited the press room.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey really immersed me in what a newspaper was,\u201d she says.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Silver didn\u2019t need a primer on Spark\u2019s target audience. As a Trolley Square (Wilmington) resident, she was surrounded by a post-college age group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once Spark was up and running, she met the people behind Delaware\u2019s restaurants, clubs, and small businesses. She earned clients\u2019 trust by telling them when an advertising purchase wasn\u2019t a good fit and when it could meet their goals. The job also helped her become part of the local community.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After nine years at Spark, she moved into pharmaceutical sales. Although the job had a larger paycheck, there were fewer opportunities to build the relationships she valued. The position ended in layoffs within a year, and Silver briefly worked as a contract carpet salesperson while searching for another role. She found it at the American Heart Association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As part of the Philadelphia Heart Walk team, Silver worked with businesses and medical institutions to recruit participants and raise money. The American Heart Association later asked Silver to return to Delaware and oversee three Heart Walks, one in each county. A job at Mobius New Media expanded her knowledge of website technology and digital marketing. She then joined the staff at Delaware Business Times, which once again put her on a startup staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Silver stepped away from paid employment to raise her children. The pause gave her time to reconsider what she wanted from the next stage of life. \u201cAfter having kids, you wonder, \u2018Where\u2019s your career?\u2019\u201d she says. \u201cI needed a confidence boost. I really needed to level up a little bit, at least for myself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Silver enrolled in WilmU\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wilmu.edu\/business\/mba_index.aspx\">online MBA program<\/a>. The format allowed her to pursue the degree while managing her children\u2019s schedules. During the pandemic, her kids attended school through Zoom, which made the flexibility even more important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She particularly enjoyed her capstone project. She and three classmates competed against other teams to effectively manage a simulated shoe company. They determined prices and marketing budgets and considered expansion opportunities.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The group met regularly on Zoom to study the results and adjust their strategy. \u201cBy week three, you really start to understand it,\u201d she says. \u201cYou see it all work together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While completing the MBA and raising her children, Silver followed the Local Journalism Initiative, which started Spotlight Delaware. Concerned about declining local coverage and the number of people relying on social media for news, she participated in focus groups. In September 2025, she joined the organization part-time. She moved into her full-time position in January 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Spotlight receives support from grants, donations, and members. Silver\u2019s role is to diversify the revenue.&nbsp; \u201cAt some point in time, there\u2019s going to be a funding cliff, which is what all nonprofits have to think about,\u201d she says. \u201cMy job is to help balance that and enable us to be continuously sustainable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rather than present every prospective partner with the same sales pitch, Silver considers what the organization is trying to accomplish. An event sponsorship may make sense for one business, while another might benefit from a clearly labeled sponsored story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The approach reflects Silver\u2019s relationship-based style and the strategic thinking she strengthened at WilmU. A partnership must meet the advertiser\u2019s needs, generate revenue for Spotlight, and support the newsroom\u2019s long-term stability, she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It must also preserve the boundary between news and sales that Silver learned to respect at Spark. \u201cYou don\u2019t want me to tell the writers what to write,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd you don\u2019t want them to write favorably about you because you\u2019ve paid for it, because then you lose the value of what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The boundary is not an obstacle to Silver\u2019s work \u2014 it\u2019s central to her role and Spotlight\u2019s credibility. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u2014Pam George<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<style>.kb-row-layout-wrap.wp-block-kadence-rowlayout.kb-row-layout-id18054_2a03df-98{margin-top:0em;}.kb-row-layout-id18054_2a03df-98 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:center;}:where(.kb-row-layout-id18054_2a03df-98 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:center;}.kb-row-layout-id18054_2a03df-98 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-none, 0rem );row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-none, 0rem );max-width:var( --global-content-width, 1290px );padding-left:var(--global-content-edge-padding);padding-right:var(--global-content-edge-padding);padding-top:0em;padding-right:0em;padding-bottom:0em;padding-left:0em;grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr) minmax(0, 2fr);}.kb-row-layout-id18054_2a03df-98{border-top:1px solid #eeeeee;border-right:1px solid #eeeeee;border-bottom:1px solid #eeeeee;}.kb-row-layout-id18054_2a03df-98 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-row-layout-id18054_2a03df-98 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr) minmax(0, 2fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-row-layout-id18054_2a03df-98{border-top:1px solid #eeeeee;border-right:1px solid #eeeeee;border-bottom:1px solid #eeeeee;}}@media all and (max-width: 991px){.kb-row-layout-id18054_2a03df-98 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}.kb-row-layout-id18054_2a03df-98{border-top:1px solid #eeeeee;border-right:1px solid #eeeeee;border-bottom:1px solid #eeeeee;}}.wu-text-col,.wu-img-col {\tmin-height: 114px;}.wu-text-col &gt; div,.wu-img-col &gt; div {\tflex: 1;}<\/style><div class=\"kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id18054_2a03df-98 alignnone FULL wp-block-kadence-rowlayout\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-2-columns kt-row-layout-right-golden kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-middle kb-theme-content-width\">\n<style>.kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col{display:flex;}.kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-none, 0rem );}.kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:row;flex-wrap:wrap;align-items:center;justify-content:center;}.kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col > *, .kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-image, .kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-kadence-image{margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;}.kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image-is-ratio-size{flex-grow:1;}.kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col{background-color:var(--global-palette9, #ffffff);}.kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column18054_056c48-40{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:row;flex-wrap:wrap;align-items:center;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col > *, .kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-image, .kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-kadence-image{margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;}.kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image-is-ratio-size{flex-grow:1;}}@media all and (max-width: 991px){.kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:row;flex-wrap:wrap;justify-content:flex-start;justify-content:center;}.kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col > *, .kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-image, .kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-kadence-image{margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;}.kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image-is-ratio-size{flex-grow:1;}}.kadence-column18054_056c48-40 figure.image-is-svg {-webkit-margin-after: 1em;  margin-block-end: 1em;}img[src$=\".svg\"] {  max-width: 220px;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column18054_056c48-40 kb-section-dir-horizontal wu-img-col\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><style>.kb-image18054_2c3578-23.kb-image-is-ratio-size, .kb-image18054_2c3578-23 .kb-image-is-ratio-size{max-width:273px;width:100%;}.wp-block-kadence-column > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image18054_2c3578-23.kb-image-is-ratio-size, .wp-block-kadence-column > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image18054_2c3578-23 .kb-image-is-ratio-size{align-self:unset;}.kb-image18054_2c3578-23{max-width:273px;}.image-is-svg.kb-image18054_2c3578-23{-webkit-flex:0 1 100%;flex:0 1 100%;}.image-is-svg.kb-image18054_2c3578-23 img{width:100%;}.kb-image18054_2c3578-23:not(.kb-image-is-ratio-size) .kb-img, .kb-image18054_2c3578-23.kb-image-is-ratio-size{padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.kb-image18054_2c3578-23 .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}<\/style>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image18054_2c3578-23 size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/WU-Logo_L-Web_FullColor-750x225.png\" alt=\"Wilmington University Logo\" class=\"kb-img wp-image-20626\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/WU-Logo_L-Web_FullColor-750x225.png 750w, https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/WU-Logo_L-Web_FullColor-250x75.png 250w, https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/WU-Logo_L-Web_FullColor-768x230.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/WU-Logo_L-Web_FullColor.png 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>.kadence-column18054_182255-65 > .kt-inside-inner-col{display:flex;}.kadence-column18054_182255-65 > .kt-inside-inner-col{padding-right:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-left:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);}.kadence-column18054_182255-65 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column18054_182255-65 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;}.kadence-column18054_182255-65 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image-is-ratio-size{align-self:stretch;}.kadence-column18054_182255-65 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .wp-block-kadence-advancedgallery{align-self:stretch;}.kadence-column18054_182255-65 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kt-row-column-wrap > .kadence-column18054_182255-65{align-self:center;}.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column18054_182255-65{align-self:auto;}.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column18054_182255-65 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}.kadence-column18054_182255-65 > .kt-inside-inner-col{background-color:#eeeeee;}.kadence-column18054_182255-65 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column18054_182255-65{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kt-row-column-wrap > .kadence-column18054_182255-65{align-self:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column18054_182255-65{align-self:auto;}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column18054_182255-65 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column18054_182255-65 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;}}@media all and (max-width: 991px){.kt-row-column-wrap > .kadence-column18054_182255-65{align-self:center;}.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column18054_182255-65{align-self:auto;}.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column18054_182255-65 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}.kadence-column18054_182255-65 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;}}.kt-row-column-wrap &gt; .wp-block-kadence-column {align-self: stretch;}.kadence-column18054_182255-65 &gt; div {  padding-block: 1em;}.kadence-column18054_182255-65 p:last-of-type {  -webkit-margin-after: 0;  margin-block-end: 0;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column18054_182255-65 kb-section-dir-vertical wu-text-col\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<p class=\"NoMargin wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:1rem\"><em>Want to read more in-depth stories? Explore our latest <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/category\/magazine\/\">magazine articles<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When it comes to connecing local news to the community, Wilmington University alumna Avie Silver has been on the cutting edge.\u00a0 In 2004, she was&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":20789,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[135],"tags":[179,71,157,14,15],"class_list":["post-20788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-magazine","tag-alumni","tag-college-of-business-and-technology","tag-mba","tag-wilmington-university","tag-wilmu"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":135,"label":"MAGAZINE"}],"post_tag":[{"value":179,"label":"Alumni"},{"value":71,"label":"College of Business and Technology"},{"value":157,"label":"MBA"},{"value":14,"label":"Wilmington University"},{"value":15,"label":"WilmU"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/avie-silver-480x480.jpg",480,480,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Rachel Marchione","author_link":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/author\/rachel\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":135,"name":"MAGAZINE","slug":"magazine","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":692,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":458,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":135,"category_count":458,"category_description":"","cat_name":"MAGAZINE","category_nicename":"magazine","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":179,"name":"Alumni","slug":"alumni","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":736,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":25,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":71,"name":"College of Business and Technology","slug":"college-of-business-and-technology","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":628,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":131,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":157,"name":"MBA","slug":"mba","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":714,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":17,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":14,"name":"Wilmington University","slug":"wilmington-university","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":571,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":424,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":15,"name":"WilmU","slug":"wilmu","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":572,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":358,"filter":"raw"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20788","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20788"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20788\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20847,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20788\/revisions\/20847"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}